Nature Photographer on a Budget

That's what I was when I first started out. Ok, things haven't changed much. My paycheck may be a little larger, but I still want the best quality I can get for the least amount of money. Some would say that I am cheap, I prefer the term practical. Besides, let's face facts, photography is not an inexpensive hobby.

The Film Photographer

When I first started out, which wasn't all that long ago, digital cameras did not yet exist. They were a dream soon to be realized, but also to be too expensive for a limited budget amateur to afford for a few years to come. So, I had to make due with my first SLR, a Canon Rebel Xs and the 35-80mm lens that came in the kit. I already knew by this time that I loved nature photography. I also knew that this single lens would not let me get close enough for decent macro shots or zoom in for a tight shot from a distance. I couldn't afford Canon lenses at the time, even the EF series was too expensive. Still, I needed more equipment than I had. I was in a bit of a dilemma, until a friend offered me some advice on how to build up a functional kit bag that wouldn't cost a fortune and would allow me to learn how to take the shots I wanted.

So what did I carry in my bag. Well, in place of the macro lens that I craved I bought a set of Kenko extension tubes--12mm, 20mm and 36mm. These tubes shorten the focal length of any 35mm lens and allow you to focus closer. Sometimes I had to switch to manual focusing, but it was a great deal. Less than a third of the price of the macro lens.

But I also needed a long zoom. I opted for a Sigma 75-300mm zoom and a Kenko 4 element doubler. This, along with a decent tripod, created a very flexible kit for me.

If I were attempt to create this same kit today I would use the following:

Canon::

EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM or EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro with Life-Size Converter EF
EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM
Extender EF 2x II

Nikon::

60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor or 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor
28-70mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S Zoom-Nikkor or 24-85mm f/2.8-4 D IF AF Zoom-Nikkor
70-300mmf/4-5.6D ED AF Micro-Nikkor
TC-20E II (2x) AF-S, AF-I Teleconverter


Third Party substitutes::

Kenko Extension Tube set, instead of Macro lenses

The Digital Photographer

The kit bag for the digital slr photographer on a budget is not all that different. In this case you have the choice of digital specific lenses, which cannot be used with a film camera, or film lenses, which will work with digital bodies as well. Quite often you will end up with a mixture. Depending on your cameras multiplier 1x (only a few pro bodies), 1.5x (Nikon), or 1.6x (Canon )you may need to use wider angle lenses to achieve the equivalent of the film slr kit.

Canon::

(Assume EOS 20D or Digital Rebel body)

EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM
Extender EF 2x II

(EOS 5 body with 1x multiplier)

same as for film body

Nikon::

Use lenses suggested for film body

or

Use Digital specific DX series lenses to replace the zooms. There is no DX macro lens. I do not yet know if the teleconverter is compatible with the Nikon DX series.